One of the most positive, affirming things you can do is keep promises with yourself.
Be clear with yourself at the onset of any goal you set. If you plan do do something, see it through to completion; if you don’t plan to do it, don’t even get started!
There is a hidden benefit in the completion of tasks you set for yourself, whether they are small or large. This benefit extends past the task itself.
Every time that you follow through on a promise to yourself, you get an enormous self esteem boost. This self esteem boost is the inner voice saying “I am a winner!” This is very healthy.
You will actually experience an endorphin rush through your body and get addicted to this wonderful inner drug! You’ll become addicted to the “I am a winner” feeling and want to repeat it again and again.
Your goals can be small such as committing to a single task that you will follow through on today – “I will jog for 30 minutes tonight”. It can also be a large project, and you can commend yourself each time you chip away towards it’s completion. It may not be finished, but by taking a step closer your inner voice knows you are a winner.
Following through on what you say you will do builds your “foundation” and character from the inside out. No approval from anyone else can give you this, no money can buy this, it has to be cultivated and earned within. You wll approve of yourself, build your winner mentality thereby becoming magnetic to others.
On the flip side, when you make promises to yourself that you don’t keep, your inner voice says “I am a loser.” You come to know yourself as someone who does not follow through, and this builds a failure mentality. This is not good for self your esteem.
A negative inner dialogue and self interpretation will then color your future aspirations and hang over you like a dark cloud with feelings like “I never accomplish anything” and so on. Stay away from this like the plague!
So – I am very careful about what I promise myself to begin with…I don’t promise things to myself like “I will run 10 miles every day” simply because I know if I don’t keep my promise I’ll put my self esteem in the gutter. I can promise myself that I will run 3 times a week, or more.
You can start with very small things like “I commit to practicing guitar for 15 minutes tonight.” When you wake up the following day, you will feel that you followed through, you will experience a self esteem boost, and you are in a far better position to achieve more – because you activated the “I am a winner” feeling to which you’ll be addicted.
Now…get to work!
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I fixed a goal today and I have completed it. Real hard work…! http://www.youtube.com/user/bavariangeorge?feature=mhee
You are absolutely right: it´s a fantastic feeling. Now I want more!
Thanks, Adam!
This is such a true post! Thanks Adam! Will get back to it whenever I might get off my way to achieving a goal! Regards from Graz!